Shadab, Samad rescue Pakistan as hosts seal ODI series against Australia

Shadab Khan and Abdul Samad held their nerve with an unbeaten partnership to rescue Pakistan from a middle-order collapse as the hosts beat Australia by four wickets in the third and final one-day international in Lahore on Thursday to seal the three-match series 2-1.

Chasing a modest target of 158, Pakistan got off to a shaky start when opener Sahibzada Farhan fell in the third over. Maaz Sadaqat and Babar Azam then steadied the innings, taking the score to 41 before Sadaqat was trapped lbw by Matthew Short after scoring 27.

Wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori was dismissed for eight, while Babar and Salman Ali Agha added valuable runs as Pakistan moved to 93. However, with victory in sight, Agha departed for 15.

Babar, who top-scored with 40, and Arafat Minhas took Pakistan to 112 before Matthew Kuhnemann struck a crucial blow by bowling the former batter. Minhas also departed soon afterwards, leaving Pakistan in trouble at 112-6 and still needing 46 runs for victory.

Shadab, who had scored a fighting half-century in the previous match, once again played a key role, making 29. He found solid support from Abdul Samad, whose unbeaten 18 helped Pakistan cross the line with 43 balls to spare.

The victory gave Pakistan a 2-1 series win after they had claimed the opening ODI in Rawalpindi by five wickets before Australia levelled the series with a 41-run victory in Lahore.

Earlier, Australia were bowled out for 157 after opting to bat first on a slow Gaddafi Stadium surface.

Shaheen Shah Afridi led Pakistan's bowling effort with figures of 3-30, while Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan claimed two wickets each.

Shaheen struck with the second ball of the innings, dismissing Matthew Short, before Josh Inglis attempted to rebuild the innings with partnerships of 46 and 52 runs alongside Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey, respectively.

Inglis top-scored with 65 off 71 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries and a six, while Labuschagne and Carey made 19 runs each.

However, Australia lost their final seven wickets for just 38 runs as Pakistan's bowlers tightened their grip on the contest. Two run-outs further dented the tourists' innings as the hosts bounced back from their defeat in the second ODI to clinch the series.